foods that are LOW

Hi, I'm Debbie.
Today is my first day with fitness pal, so far I've had a coffee, some cereal and a pear. and I've nearly used have my calorie and carb allowance. I'm trying to eat something every couple of hours to keep my metabolism up but if I keep going at this rate my poor dog will be dead on his feet. I would really appreciate some ideas of food I can eat that are LOW in everything. Being a newbie I know I have a lot to learn and I'm hoping that practice will make me perfect , eventually . All advice gratefully accepted, as i don't want to fail on my first day. Debz

Hey Debbie

Don't worry about eating every couple of hours to bosst your metabolism. That has no real science backing it up.

Shoot for a lot of whole foods like vegetables and meats as you're more likely to get adequate protein and not go too heavy on the carbs.

That said as long as you're in a calorie deficit you will still lose weight so if you find that you can spare a few treats feel free to enjoy them. At the end of the day it all comes down to calories.

Welcome to MFP

feel free to add me. I have been eating some crappy stuff lately but usually have pretty healthy foods and i am always under my cal goal. All of my food is low in fat too.

Try to eat all your calories that MFP has set for you based on your weight goals and activity level. If you work out you get to eat those calories back. Some people are scared of this but don't be. The original goal for the day is what you should eat if you dont workout at all based on your activity level, so if you do work out you NEED to eat more to keep you metabolism up. If you eat under sometiems it is ok but if you are significantly under all the time it is not good for you. Also, if you rbMI is inthe obese catagory you can loose more a week (like 2lbs or even 3) but if you are just a little overweight or just want to tone then keep it to 1 lb a week. Thats the geneeral idea of the road map. If you want the break down here is the link.



http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

I had that exact same issue when I started counting. I started taking my time in the grocery stores and literally looking at EVERYTHING. I came across non-fat coffee creamers, but discovered the sugar free versions had fewer calories. I also supplemented the creamer (because the serving size is so small) with sugar free flavoring syrups that I found in the coffee isle at Walmart.
If you can tolerate skim milk I highly suggest using it over the higher fat versions, you can save some calories there as well.

I have tons of ideas. Just ask away

Hi , This whole diet concept is so confusing. how do you know what is good for you and what Isn't.? I understood that eating small amounts regularly was better for you and your weight loss that starving yourself. Also i get bored in the evening , when the kids are in bed and tend to graze, so i thought if i didn't allow myself to become hungry i would be less likely to cheat. Fingers crossed.
As for my Diary how do i let people see it? I think my calories were set automatically when i imputed my information. is this right ? they are set to 1200 per day. . Thanks for your reply's x

Unfortunately there are a lot of myths and misinformation in the diet industry.

You really just need to experiment and find what works for you. If you find eating every couple of hours helps to regulate your appetite and prevents you from over eating in the evenings then by all means do it. Like I said earlier. It's all about calories used> calories consumed.

I enjoy eating in the evenings so I generally eat like a bird during the day and consume the majority of my calories at night. That's what works for me.

To allow people to see you Diary go into Food>Settings and you should be able to see an option that allows people to see your diary.

I agree..coffee, cereal, and a pear should not be half your days allowance

Hi , This whole diet concept is so confusing. how do you know what is good for you and what Isn't.? I understood that eating small amounts regularly was better for you and your weight loss that starving yourself. Also i get bored in the evening , when the kids are in bed and tend to graze, so i thought if i didn't allow myself to become hungry i would be less likely to cheat. Fingers crossed.
As for my Diary how do i let people see it? I think my calories were set automatically when i imputed my information. is this right ? they are set to 1200 per day. . Thanks for your reply's x

see the link that I quoted in my last post, read that carefully, it's reliable and teaches you a method that works so you can lose weight steadily without starving yourself, and find it easier to maintain after you lose the weight. Most people can eat quite a lot more than 1200 calories a day and still lose weight with this method.

starving yourself isn't so much about how often you eat, it's about eating enough to sustain your body. Eating several times a day, or eating just twice a day are both fine so long as the total amount of food is enough to sustain your body. Personally, I prefer to eat several times a day. You are right, if you're not hungry, you won't be tempted to cheat and you'll find it easier to stick to. But even if you eat ten times a day, if the total amount of food isn't enough to sustain your body, you'll still be very hungry, tempted to cheat and if you carry on not eating enough to sustain your body for a long time, it can cause problems that make it hard to continue to lose weight.

Hiya, I eat a lot of low cal foods - feel free to add me!

My question is--What kind of cereal did you eat?

It was a muesli, with nuts and dried fruit.... wont make that mistake again. lol bran flakes tomorrow.

Ouch!!! That's learning the hard way. Gotta check calories in EVERYTHING. Watch out for bread too. That got me when I started. Very high in calories.